Abstract
The helium ion microscope (HIM) is a focussed ion beam instrument with unprecedented spatial resolution for secondary electron imaging but has traditionally lacked microanalytical capabilities. With the addition of the secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) attachment, the capabilities of the instrument have expanded to microanalysis of isotopes from Li up to hundreds of atomic mass units, effectively opening up the analysis of all natural and geological systems. However, the instrument has thus far been underutilised by the geosciences community, due in no small part to a lack of a thorough understanding of the quantitative capabilities of the instrument. Li represents an ideal element for an exploration of the instrument as a tool for geological samples, due to its importance for economic geology and a green economy, and the difficult nature of observing Li with traditional microanalytical techniques. Also Li represents a “best-case” scenario for isotopic measurements. Here we present details of sample preparation, instrument sensitivity, theoretical, and measured detection limits for both elemental and isotopic analysis as well as practicalities for geological sample analyses of Li alongside a discussion of potential geological use cases of the HIM–SIMS instrument.
Highlights
The helium ion microscope (HIM) is a focussed ion beam (FIB) instrument, which uses a gas field ion source (GFIS) to create highly focussed beams of noble gas ions, utilising the same working principle as the field ion microscope (FIM)
Whilst the HIM was shown to achieve exceptional imaging resolution using secondary electrons generated by the primary ion beam [3,4,5,6], it lacked microanalytical
secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), opens the entire range of mass numbers, from a few atomic mass units up to several hundred atomic mass units, whilst leaving open the possibility of in situ isotopic measurements. This combined HIM–SIMS instrument has intriguing possibilities for geological materials as, unlike previous SIMS techniques limited by the probe size of the primary beam, the small beam size theoretically allows for chemical mapping at high sensitivity with the spatial resolution controlled only by beam–sample interactions [9]
Summary
The helium ion microscope (HIM) is a focussed ion beam (FIB) instrument, which uses a gas field ion source (GFIS) to create highly focussed beams of noble gas ions, utilising the same working principle as the field ion microscope (FIM). This combined HIM–SIMS instrument has intriguing possibilities for geological materials as, unlike previous SIMS techniques limited by the probe size of the primary beam, the small beam size theoretically allows for chemical mapping at high sensitivity with the spatial resolution controlled only by beam–sample interactions [9].
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